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Pretty, healthy snacks with interesting and complex flavors can be hard to come by. But look no further!

On a recent visit to my parents’ and sisters’ home, I was poking around in the pantry for inspiration. My mother is recovering from major surgery and a lengthy hospital stay and I was there, in part, to prepare some meals. I discovered some dates and pecans and, while I didn’t cook with them, I was reminded of a favorite treat my late paternal grandmother used to make at Christmastime: pitted dates stuffed with pecan halves and rolled in powdered sugar. So pleasantly sweet, slightly sticky, creamy-chewy and crunchy—the best of all worlds!

Back home in my own pantry were some dried pitted prunes and smoked almonds. Perfect substitutes. And while I also had some powdered sugar, I wanted a more savory note. So, steps away on the counter was my always-full canister of nutritional yeast. And there was the final ingredient!

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AUTHOR & RECIPE DETAILS

Betsy DiJulio, a vegan blogger, freelance writer, and food stylist, Betsy DiJulio is the author of The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes (Vegan Heritage Press, 2011) and writes the “Green Scene” column for Hampton Roads Magazine, among other regional and national freelance gigs. A lifetime cooking enthusiast, Betsy has worked as a caterer, taught private cooking classes, and won national recipe competitions. See Betsy’s website at The Blooming Platter.

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